


the sweetest apparition

by orphan_account



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Angstober 2019, Drabble, Light Angst, M/M, Missed Connections
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-27
Updated: 2019-11-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 15:47:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21580684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "... love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, but bears it out even to the edge of doom” - william shakespeare, sonnet 116
Relationships: Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	the sweetest apparition

**Author's Note:**

> yet another little drabble written for twitter user @_asaiku's angstober prompts!! this was day 9: "do you still love them?"
> 
> recommended listening:  
> [saw you in a dream](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxZDxF0MyV0) \- the japanese house  
> [the idea of you](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO-1SzmdCMI) \- mxmtoon  
> 

The most remarkable train ride of Daichi’s student life happened on a winter’s day.

Initially, it was a normal commute home from university. He stood, leaning against the side of the train car, with one hand gripping the overhead strap and another holding a book. Half of his concentration was on reading and the other half on listening to the upcoming stations. The train stopped for new passengers to board, and Daichi looked up when a body brushed by him lightly, the static from clothes fabric shocking his bare forearm.

“Oh, excuse me,” the man said when he and Daichi made eye contact. 

Daichi hesitated, taking in this first impression. The man now standing next to him was handsome, with his silver hair swept back effortlessly and his face flushed from the cold outside. The cherry on top, though, was the beauty mark below his left eye.

“Don’t worry about it,” Daichi finally said. The other man grinned at him and Daichi almost swooned.

His amber eyes momentarily darted down to look at the book in Daichi’s hand before settling on Daichi’s own eyes. “'Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks within his bending sickle's compass come; love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, but bears it out even to the edge of doom,'” he recited.

“I’m sorry?”

He laughed. His laugh was smooth, like the caramel that resembled the color of his eyes. It wasn't obnoxious or harsh on Daichi’s ears. It suited him, in fact. “Sonnet 116. You’re reading Shakespeare’s sonnets, aren’t you?” He pointed at the book.

Daichi had completely forgotten about the book he was holding, too startled by what he thought was this handsome man’s impromptu confession of love. “Oh. This is just for my Western Literature class. I don’t know what any of them are saying, though, so I guess they’re kinda boring.” He laughed nervously.

“I think once you figure that out you’ll see them differently,” he replied with a brief wink.

Daichi wasn’t sure if he understood what he meant, but he nodded in response. He opened his mouth again to ask for the stranger’s name but before he knew it, an announcement for the next stop came over the intercom and the train began to slow. 

“Well, this is my stop,” the other man said, gathering his things. “I hope you enjoy your reading!”

Before Daichi could even utter “wait” or “stop,” the train doors opened, welcoming inside a cold gust of wind. The stranger quickly stepped off of the train and became lost in the crowd outside.

As soon as Daichi returned home later that evening, the first thing he told Asahi about was the stranger he’d met on the train. 

“I know it sounds ridiculous, but it felt like everything just came together in that moment,” he’d said. “I couldn’t even think rationally anymore. The only thing on my mind was ‘Maybe I could be in love with this guy, and I don’t even know his name.’”

“If he was on the commuter train, then that means he has to take that train regularly. How hard can it be to run into him?” Asahi asked.

“Exactly. I have to find him again.”

  
\-----

The next day, on his way to and from school, Daichi scanned the train car for a glimpse of the stranger. He didn’t dare pull out his book or glance down at his phone for even a second, for fear of missing him. When he didn’t see him that day, he tried again the next day, and then the day after. About a week later, he could’ve sworn that he had heard the man’s caramel laugh drift over from the other end of the train car, but he didn’t see anyone familiar. A month after that, he briefly caught sight of a tuft of silver hair on the platform outside. However, as soon as he moved to exit, the doors closed, and the train departed on his final chance for reconnection.

A tiny flame of hope was rekindled every time he looked at the book of sonnets on his desk, only to be extinguished on the train ride the next day.

Eventually, Daichi found himself looking down at his phone more often and for longer periods of time. When he felt someone brush past him he would glance up, only to be disappointed by who he saw. After a few months passed, he had returned to completing his reading during his commute, looking up only to verify the next stop.

By the end of the school term, Daichi had given up completely. His schedule would be different now and he wouldn’t take the train at the same times; he would probably never see the silver-haired man with the radiant smile again. On the final day of the term, Asahi asked for an update on his search.

“I’ve given up. I guess it just wasn’t meant to be,” Daichi said.

“Do you still love him? Or think you love him, at least?” Asahi asked.

Daichi replied, “Love ‘bears it out even to the edge of doom,’ I guess. Or whatever it is that they say.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! i always struggle with dialogue so i tried to step out of my comfort zone and include a decent amount of dialogue in this one. hopefully you liked it!! as always you can find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/vethirugami) and [tumblr](https://tvxit.tumblr.com/) and let me know what you think!!


End file.
